As Others See Us
by ancarett
Summary: It's the Festival of Snow and Codex has a very useful secret admirer. Will that translate into real life?


In game, she's a kick-ass priestess who can stand toe-to-toe with monsters and never break a sweat.

In real life, she's scared witless if she sees a rat scuttling along the alleyway behind her building, so it's not surprising that Codex chooses to spend more time in the game than in reality.

People are nicer to her in the game. Well, except for some of her guildmates like Vork who always yells when there's been another wipeout and Bladezz who is kind of a lootwhore. And Tink who tells her off for no good reason, and Clara who ignores her half the time and Zaboo, who's trying too hard.

Still, it's better than facing the possibility of rejection in the real world, so Codex logs back into the game with a smile after making an absolutely necessary run to the drug store to stock up on store-brand popcorn and Christmas candy (on sale, half off!). She's on early for a change, so while she's waiting for the rest of her guild to show up, she checks out the annual in-game Festival of Snow.

There's the obligatory leering gnome in a Santa suit, giving out quests for presents and Santa hats, seated on a throne beside the auction house. Codex thinks about going over and picking up the quest when she notices the flashing "mail" icon on her screen.

"Funny," she says as she navigates her way over to the mailbox, "I didn't have any auctions up."  
The mail, wonder of wonders!, isn't a failed auction that she forgot or some come-on "buy gold" spam. It's from a player she's never heard of (which is enough to make her suspicious) but attached is something that makes her gasp: a Cloak of Concealment, one of the rarest items to be crafted in game and a real bonus for a healer.

Accompanying it is nothing more than a simple line of text: 'Enjoy, your secret admirer.'  
Codex chewed on her lip as she looked at the item in her inventory. All those glowing green bonuses but at what cost? Was this from Zaboo, a signal he was renewing his pursuit of her? Or was it mistakenly address: maybe there was an angry Kodex or Cotechs looking at their mailbox right now, wondering where their item was?

She looked around and name-checked all the other players in the crowd around her. No one with a likely claim if that were the case although, with hundreds of mailboxes in the game and many people not logged on right now, it was hardly definitive.

Still, she couldn't help a chortle of glee as she clicked on the inventory slot and watched the cape appear on her character. Befitting the name, it doesn't show up on her figure. There's just the barest suggestion of something about her character, a little more curl in her hair?, that makes Codex get out of her chair and dance with glee then sit back down and make her avatar do the same.

"What's up?" Zaboo asks, showing up on screen beside her. He's wearing the quest Santa hat, she notices and realizes that it really wouldn't look good on her avatar. Whew! Avoided that mistake!

"Nothing," Codex says nervously when Zaboo repeats his question. "I'm just practicing the new Festival of Snow dance animations."

And it's true, thankfully, that there is something new for the season. Soon Zaboo's entranced so, when the rest of the guild logs in, no eyes are on Codex, who takes the mail message and saves it in her bank inventory.

"Attention, guild members," Vork proclaims, avoiding Clara's attempt to crown his avatar with a Santa hat, "our target today is one of the Festival of Snow special dungeons. 'Santa Goblin's Go-Mart' is a bit high for our level, but with luck, we can finish this before any other guild on the server does, and win more renown for the Knights of Good."

Tink's archer gapes at Vork. "Are you serious?" she asks over their voice-chat. "Those mobs will take you down in sixty."

Vork sighs. "I've calculated it will take at least one hundred and fifty blows by the boss to kill me that is, of course, only if Codex fails to cast any heals."

"Dude," Bladezz interjects, "she means sixty seconds. And I'm sure it won't even be that much. You know we'll get too much aggro and, the first heal she casts, Codex will be toast."

"Um, thanks guys," she says, "but would you stop talking about me if I'm not here? Anyway, I have something that should do the trick. Look at my equipment."

She sits still while a host of clicks on her inventory lead to oohs and ahhs. "Where did you get that?" Clara demands. "I want one."

"They're one of the most rare items to craft in-game," Vork explains. "So, she must have stolen it off of someone."

Codex gasps. "As if I would. Vork, I'm a Knight of Good, for heavens' sake."

"Then how'd you get it?" Tink asks. "And how do _I_ get one?"

Codex hems and haws before finally admitting the coveted item was a gift. "And I don't know from whom so stop bugging me," she finishes.

"Codex is right," Vork says. "Let's leave the interrogation until later. A quest awaits us and may we be the first to clear the Go-Mart, winning the admiration of all the server."

Codex isn't entirely happy with the prospect of any interrogation, now or later, but at least they're off her back. She gets her virtual inventory ready, pausing to preen with her new cloak one more time, before Vork queues them up for the Festival quest.

"That's funny," Vork says as his warrior strides fearlessly into the antechamber of the Go-Mart. "There should be more mobs here."

Zaboo uses his staff to strike down the only living monster in the zone, a level five Snow-bunny. "We've been beaten to the punch," he says after looting the bunny for one haunch of stringy bunny meat.

"Yeah," Tink says. "No mega-loot for us until they respawn."

"Which could take up to four hours," Vork grumbles. "We've also obviously lost the honour of taking down this zone first to some lesser guild. What are we supposed to do now?"

Codex sees her mail icon blinking on her interface. "Just a minute," she says, and heads off to the zone entrance where a mailbox awaits.

This time there's no loot, just a message. 'You should be seeing a respawn in two minutes so be ready. Oh, and stand where the bunny corpse is for the least amount of aggro. Good luck, your secret admirer.'

"Um, guys," she calls, racing back to stand where the snow-bunny corpse lays, "heads-up!"

The Goblin Go-Mart mobs reappear with startling rapidity and Codex is hard-pressed to keep her guildmates alive, especially when Clara goes AFK to get a snack just as they pull down one of the secondary bosses. But her new cloak works like magic which, well, in-game it is, but she's thrilled how it seems that the mobs don't see her to bash her head in when she casts a big heal on Vork or Tink or Bladezz.

Pretty soon they're up for the boss mob of the Go-Mart, one Goblin Claus, who towers above them with a mighty roar. Vork shouts out strategy over their chat and everyone's playing at the top of their game so they take him down and it's really like Christmas or the Festival of Snow.

Zaboo and Clara shriek with joy as the giant Goblin crashes to the ground. "Roll for loot," Vork reminds everyone as he kneels before the body. "There are three class-specific epic items – one each for Bladezz, Tink and Zaboo. Two other open items that can be rolled on by Clara, Codex and myself."

Vork links the items to the guild-chat text. They're pretty epic, too.

"Um," Codex says, feeling a bit guilty. "Since I just got this amazing cloak today, I'd feel awful to roll against you guys, so if you don't mind, I'll just-"

"Okay, great," Clara says. "I'll take the boots and you take the facemask, Vork."

"Agreed," Vork says while Codex sputters in the background. She'd wanted them to take the loot but there could've been a token refusal first!

As they exit the zone and head back toward the city, each bragging about their newly-won gear, Bladezz mumbles "Uh-oh."

The others pick up quickly on his comment. "What's the matter," Zaboo asks, just moments ahead of Clara and Codex.

"Check out the server message board, dudes. We've been beaten by the Axis of Anarchy. _They_ got the server first and special epic titles for the rest of the Festival of Snow season." Bladezz seems as much amused as annoyed, but Vork launches into an angry diatribe against Fawkes and his band of scallywags.

Tink makes matters worse when she laughs at Vork's words. "Scallywags? Seriously?"

Codex is inching her way out of their crowd, speeding up toward the city just ahead. "See you in the guild hall," she calls, but stops abruptly as a new mail icon flashes on her screen.

Dismounting in front of the mailbox, Codex opens her letter. 'Glad to know everything worked out. Now that you're done with that, want to meet me for drinks? Your not-so-secret admirer.'

Codex blushes and interrupts the argument in guildchat. "Look, guys, I gotta run. I forgot to pick up milk when I was out earlier."

Clara whines, "But you're going to miss the limbo-dance and crazy-hat contest in the town square if you leave now. Festival of Snow only comes once a year, Codex. Don't miss it!"

Codex hems and haws but is secretly relieved to miss all that in-game craziness. She logs out, runs a brush through her hair, grabs a sweater and races out of her apartment.

"Hi," she says nervously as she enters the bar where Fawkes is waiting. "Thanks."

"For what?" he asks.

"For the cloak, the cloak of concealment, that totally saved my ass in-game," Codex explains, feeling stupid and embarrassed and awkward.

He raises an eyebrow. "Wasn't me. I was just out here at my favourite watering hole, getting ready to have a drink." His denial sounds sincere but the way his eyes skitter off suggest otherwise.

"Are you saying there's some other random guy out there giving me gifts and being my 'secret admirer'?" Codex is mildly horrified at the thought.

"Better not be any other guy trying to pick you up. I'd have to hunt him down," Fawkes says, seemingly all serious.

"And I'd have to patch you up," Codex replies, "so let's not do that and just enjoy the evening out."

"If you insist," Fawkes sighs. "Just let me buy you a drink, first."

And even remembering how badly that went last time, Codex isn't inclined to protest at all.


End file.
